Shoe tree



June l1, 1940.

SHOE` TREE q w. I 'ONEY 2,203,792

Filed March 22, 1959 /A/l/fA/TUAY W.

Patented June 11, 1940 sHoE TREE John W. Loney, Brockton, Mass., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation,- Borough` of Flemington, `N. J.,

y Jersey a corporation of New Application March 22, 1939, Serial No. `263,375

l s claims. (c1. 12-12s;z

the mid-portions of spaced coil springs whichj coact with the forepart sections at points spaced e This invention relates to expansible shoe trees e intended to be placed in shoes when not inuse `for preserving their original appearance and shape. The sale of shoe trees having rigid shoe engaging sections made of metal or wood is very fmuch limited `by the fact that, in order to fit a all sizes of shoes, a retailer is required to carry astock of a considerable number of sizes and this he is not always willing to do. Shoe `trees have been provided, therefore, which have expansible foreparts and extensible heel parts, so

that the tree will more readily ll the shoes of diierent shapes and sizes, both `transversely and F lengthwise of the shoe. To be satisfactory, such `a tree must be arrangedso` that the forepart sec tions may readily assume the positions which they are tooccupy in any particular shoe without binding and this has not been found in prior shoe trees, because of the tendency of the coiled expansion springs commonly employed to catch upon the` recesses provided to receive them in the forepart sections, or to catch upon the screw which sometimes has been employed as a combined limiting means and spring support for said expansible forepart sections.

If a tree with an expanded forepart is provided with springs strong enough to cause the tree to y rmly ll the shoe, then the user may encounter difficulty in inserting the forepart of the tree into the shoe. sometimes used for positively collapsingthefore-` part` and holding it in `collapsed position as the tree is inserted. `One form of operating member for such a cam is connected to the heel partof the tree, so that the tilting upward of the `heel part, as would naturally be done in inserting the tree in the shoe, operates `the cam to collapse the forepart. l n It is an4 object of this invention to provide a simple, eiiicient and economical shoe tree having an expansible forepartfand an extensible rear section whereby one tree may be used in of different sizes and shapes.` l l In accordance with this object, a feature of the invention residesin improved mechanism for controlling the expansion of the forepart sections panding springs employed. This, aslillustrated,

comprises a plate adapted to be received in ref.` cesses inadjacent faces of the forepart sections, the uplatelbeing slotted to cooperate with pins in said sectionsto limit the expandingmovement a`.ndhayir1gl` tubular endportions `which enclose To obviate this diliculty, a cam is` I0, and 22, 24 in the section l2; shoes longitudinally thereof. e

,Another feature `will be recognized in an improved `cam arrangement for `collapsing the `forepart sections when it is desired to insert the tree intoa shoe. l

This l cam, positioned between the rearmost spring and the heel end of the forepart, operates to draw the forepart sections together and, in

its illustrated form, consists of a tubular cam which is received inrecesses in the adjacent faces `of the forepart sections and has two pairs of slots cooperating with a pair of pins in said sections. A connection to the heel part, com` prising a ilat plate positioned in a vertical plane to avoid interference with the forepart sections,

is utilized as a cam operating member.

rol

With the above and other objects in view, the

invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing and will be pointed out in the appended claims.

yIn the drawing, f l Fig. 1 isa plan View, partly the relationship of the parts when the tree `is fully extended;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view illus trating the cam and showing the connection be` tween it andone of the sections of the forepart,

and f Fig. 3 is aside elevation showing the relative positions assumed by the forepart and the heel` portion of the tree when the sections of theffore` in section, showing partare drawn together `preparatory to inserting them into a shoe.

Referringto the drawing,the tree comprises` of the sections Hl, I2 is" limited by a plate 2B which is seated in a sawkerf or slot 28 formed in the `.sections I0, l2`.` The plate 26` is loosely connected tothe` sections by pin-and-slot connectionslconsisting of pins 3B, 32 inthe sections l |0512 which pass through elongated slots 34, 36 in theplate 26. lIt is to be noted that the slots 34,-36 are somewhat wider than the diameter of thepins 3B, 32 `to permit a limited angular movement of l the sections relative togeach other so that they may adapt themselves to `the shapes of different shoes. `The ends of the plate26 are formedinto tubular portions 38, lill which enclose theyportion of `the springs I4, lthat would noritt The spreading springs I 4,

tively to one another and without any catching ,i

of the springs. The tubular portions 38, 40 are made slightly larger than the diameter of the I 6 so that the springs may move freely in the tubular portions. Also, the tubular` yportions are somewhat smaller than the diameter of the recesses I8, 20, 22 andy 24 so as to allow for free relative movement between the sections and the plate 26.

When the tree is prepared for insertion into a shoe the sections I0, I2 are drawn together against the action of the springs I4, I6 by a tubular cam member 42 which is located rearwardly of the tree from the springs I4, I6 and the plate 26 and has its end portions seated in alined recesses 44, 46 in the adjoining faces of the sections Y il), I2. As is best shown in Fig. 2,'the cam 42 has a set of cam slots 48, 50 formed at each end thereof, each set of cam slots consisting of an upperv and lower cam slot (Fig. 2) which is disposed within one of` the recesses 44, 4S. Passing throughv the cam slots 48, 5U are pins 52, 54 which are mounted in the sections Ill, l 2.

The cam 42 is rotated to draw the sections Il), I2 together by a bar 56 which is connected at one end to the mid-portion of the cam 42 and at the other end to the heel piece 68 oi the tree. When this bar is moved in a height-wise direction with respect to the forepart to the position shown in Fig. 3, the cam 42 is rotated so that the pins 52, 54 are moved into the parallel sections 58, Bll of the cam slots 48, 54 thus causing the sections I0, I2 to be moved together and held while theforepart is being inserted into a shoe. After the forepart has been inserted into a shoe, the bar 56 and heel piece 68 are moved downwardly to bring a wide portion 52, 64 of the cam slots 48, 5D into register with the pins 52, 54 so that the sections of the forepart maybe pressed apart by springs I4, IS to fill the shoe in which the tree is placed. It is to be noted that the wide portions 62, E4 of the cam slots extend outwardly beyond the pins 52, 54 so that they do not act to limit the outward; movement of the sections I0, I2 under the urging of the springs I4, I6, this being the function of the pins 30, 32. With this arrangement .the pins 52, 54 will not act as a limiting means to the relative angular movement of the sections II), I2.

The rearwardly extending portion of the bar 56 is slidably received in a recess 66 in the heel piece 68 and its withdrawal from this recess is prevented by a struck-out nger 'Ill which engages a plate 'l2 in the heel piece 68. 'Ihe heel piece 68 is urged rearwardly away from the forepart by a spring I4 which is interposed between the end of the bar 56 and a wall of the recess 66 thereby. to ll the shoe and extend it lengthwise. v

Having thus described my invention, whaty I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A shoel tree comprising a forepart composed of laterally movable sections, a springacting to move said sections apart, a plate loosely connected to 'said sections and arranged to limit the spreading movement'of said sections, a cam a:- ranged to draw saidsectionsitogether, -a heel piece, and a connecting member joined to saidcam at one end and adjustably connected to said heel piece'at the other, said heel piece being movable in a heightwise ldirection with the connecting member to rotate the cam and draw said forepart sections together.

2. A shoe tree comprising a forepart composed of laterally movable sections, a spring interposed between said sections and seated in alined recesses in said sections for urging the sections apart, a plate loosely connected to said sections and arranged to limit their spreading I movement, a cam member locate-d rearwardly of' the spring and plateand seated in alined recesses in said sections, a plate connected at one end to said` cam between the forepart sections, a heel piece having a recess therein in which the opposite end of the plate is slidably received, and a spring interposed between the plate and a portion of the heel piece for urging theheel piece away from the forepart.

3. A shoe tree comprising a forepart composed of laterally movable sections, a pair of space-d springs seated in alined recesses in said sections and acting to move the sections apart, a plate having tubular portions formed at its opposite ends for enclosingvsaid springs, said plate being loosely connected to said sections and arranged to limit their spreading movement, a cam located rearwardly of said springs operatively connected to said sectionsv to draw them together against the action of the springs, a cam operating member connectedat oneend'to the part, a heel piece having a recess therein in' which the opposite end of the cam operating member is slidably received, and a spring interi posed between said cam operating member and the heel piece for urging the heel piece away from the forepart.

4. A shoe tree having a heelpart and a forepart divided longitudinally in sections, means for loosely connecting said sections comprising a slotted plate the front andv rear ends of which are provided with tubular portions which are received in recesses in the adjacent faces of the forepart sections, springs for expanding said sections positioned in sai-d tubular portions, a tubular cam between said plate and the rear end of the, forepart sections received iny recesses in thek adjacent faces thereof and cooperating with said sections to collapse the forepart, andY a vertin cal plate between said heel part and said cam arranged to rotate the cam upon heightwise movement offthe heel part.y i i 5. A shoe tree comprising a forepart composed of laterally movable sections, a spring interposed between the sections of said forepart acting to move said sections apart,a plate having a portion thereof enclosing the section of the spring `exposed between the sections of the forepart,

said plate being connected to the sections of the forepart by pin-and-slot connections thereby to limit the spreading movement of the foreating member connected at one end to the tubular cam member andi'arranged to cause the cam to draw the sections together when swung in a heightwise direction with respect to the fore-` part, a heel portion having a longitudinal opening therein in which theA opposite end of the cam operating member is slidably received, and a spring interposed between the cam operating member and a portion of the heel `piece for urging said heel piece away from the forenart.

6. `A shoe tree comprising a forepart composed of laterally movable sections, a pair of spaced springs seated in alined recesses in said sections and acting to move the sections apart, a

` plate connected to each of said sections at spaced points `by lost motion connections constructed and arranged to limit the spreading movement of the forepart sections while permitting the sections to assume different angular positions rela-` tively to each other, said plate having spaced tubular portions formed thereon arranged to enclose saidsprings and extend into the spring receiving recesses in the forepart sections, the tubular portions `being smaller than the spring receiving` recesses to permit a 'limited angular movement between the plate and the forepart sections, a cam member for drawing said sections together located rearwardly of the springs and plate and seated inalined reces-ses in the forepart section, acam engaging member in each of said sections arranged in cooperative relation with the portion of the cam member seated in the recesses of the sections, a heel piece,

and a `connecting member joined at one `end to` the cam member and at the other to the heel piece.

; 7. A shoe tree comprising a divided forepart composed of laterally movable sections having spring receiving recesses in the adjacent faces' thereof, a heel part, means for expanding said forepart comprising a coiledl spring located in the recesses in adjacent faces of the forepart sections, and means for limiting. said expanding movement including a tubular member enclosing the mid-portion of said spring and extending into the recesses in the forepart sections thereby to prevent the turns of the spring from binding on the edges of the recesses.

8. A shoe tree comprising aforepart composed of laterally movable sections, a pair of spaced springs seated in alined recesses in said sections acting to move said sections apart, and a plate extending between said sections and connected to one of said sections by a 10st motion connection for limiting the spreading movement of said sections, said plate` including portions loosely enclosing the sections f said springs extending between` the `forepart sections and eX- tending into the spring receiving' recesses in thoselsections thereby to prevent the turns of the springs from binding on the edges of the recesses in which they are seated and thus to allow free back and forth movement between the sections.

JOHN W. LONEY. 

